NEW ORLEANS - Soon there will be an Eddie G. Robinson museum at Grambling, coach Wilbert Ellis knows. Just not soon enough.

"I wanted so much to get it done before he died," said Ellis, who coached baseball at Grambling State University and was a close friend of Robinson. "It meant so much to him."

A museum for Robinson, who died Tuesday at 88, has been talked about for years. Ellis and others have worked for it since 1999. Now, Robinson's death may push the project into reality.

"We feel right now, with Coach's light shining the way it is, that people that were waiting will do something," Ellis said. "We know there's a lot of love out there for Coach and we think that love will bring the museum to life."

Robinson led the football program at Grambling for 57 years, retiring in 1997 as the winningest coach in college history with 408 wins. He also coached four future Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees and won 17 conference titles along the way.

Robinson's football powerhouse sent more than 200 players to the NFL. But his fame extended far beyond the playing field.

He made friends with the rich and powerful, traveled the world, earned copious awards and honors. But to almost everyone he remained Coach Rob, or just Coach.

"He was a great man, but a humble man," Ellis said. "We want to honor him for all he did and for those he brought along with him."

Ellis envisions a museum that honors Robinson, who broke Paul "Bear" Bryant's record for college coaching wins, and coaching as a profession.

"It would be great for people to be able to come here and see his life laid out for them," Ellis said. "And it would be a great recruiting tool like Alabama has with Bear Bryant's museum."

The museum effort was slowed for a while by budget cuts and disagreements over where the museum should be located.

The college already has agreed to let the former women's basketball gym on the campus be used to house the museum. It would be renovated at an estimated cost of $3 million to $4 million. The University of Louisiana System Board is in the process of transferring the building to the museum foundation, said Louisiana Secretary of State Jay Dardenne.

"I think progress is really being made now," Dardenne said. "Certainly the memorial contributions will be a big help."

College football Eddie Robinson (1919-2007) 'True American hero' dead at 88 | Reaction Robinson’s death helps museum near reality Celizic: The picture of quiet dignity |   Discuss Opinion: A man ahead of his time | 'Gracious' Built his players into men | His quotes Record at Grambling | Winningest coaches

The family has asked that those wishing to honor Robinson donate to the museum instead of sending flowers.

Dardenne has made the museum a pet project and wants to make sure it opens.

"It has the potential to be one of the larger attractions in our state," Dardenne said. "It's something that should happen sooner rather than later."

The museum could become the centerpiece for larger economic and tourism development in the area, Dardenne said.

"It's another potential stop in a north Louisiana trail of museums, with exhibits that focus on everything from aviation to cotton to oil and gas," Dardenne said. "I can see it developing into a larger attraction, and becoming part of a great instructional tool where people can see parts of the state not necessarily associated with New Orleans."

The state has approved a $1.3 million line of credit for the museum as part of the capital outlay bill. The next step is to have the bond commission fund it, Dardenne said.

The money would be used to hire an architect to design the plans for renovating the old gym and an exhibit designer, Dardenne said.

An additional $2 million will be needed to complete the museum, Ellis said.

Even though Robinson, who developed Alzheimer's disease shortly after he retired in 1997, had become progressively more withdrawn, his interest in the museum never wavered, Ellis said.

"The last time I saw him, I said, Coach, we're going to get this museum done," Ellis recalled. "His eyes lit up and he squeezed my hand real hard. He understood."